


On the Nature of Monsters

by thegriffin88



Series: SCP-Replication Arc [1]
Category: SCP Foundation
Genre: Blowing people up to keep them in line, Gen, Giant Salamanders, Hurt/Comfort, Monsters, Platonic Relationships, Unstable powerful people, Vomiting, Whump
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-28
Updated: 2020-07-28
Packaged: 2021-03-05 21:09:03
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 998
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25561855
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/thegriffin88/pseuds/thegriffin88
Summary: MTF-Phi-Delta is returning from a mission when the eagle-eyed Ruth notices something is wrong with her ward.
Series: SCP-Replication Arc [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1852399
Comments: 4
Kudos: 6





	On the Nature of Monsters

The mission had gone well, by Phi-Delta standards. Minimal casualties and some minor destruction of the local terrain. But the most impressive thing so far was that Ruth did not need to use 076’s recovery protocol. He had come willingly after dispatching the lizards. (Great things wreathed in flames; but made of flesh and bone nonetheless. 076 had even managed to avoid being burned horribly, letting the Phi-Delta air team douse the place in CO to dampen the things before making short work of them.) Not having to detonate her prized pet was certainly a cherry on top of this victory.   
But now that she looked over at him, she could see something was off. 076 had been quiet since they took off, which wasn’t anything new he wasn’t exactly talkative unless she started a conversation with him. She’d had no reason to do so this time, assuming he was tired and wanted to get back to base so he could wash the blood and slime off of him. Now that she looked closer, however, she could see that although he was resting his chin on his hands, fist in palm, his knuckles had gone white from gripping himself. He was uncommonly still, staring straight ahead and seemed to be focusing on breathing in a measured pattern.  
“Able? Are you alright?”   
He looked at her, and Ruth had a hard time placing the expression he gave her. He seemed…concerned?  
It took him a while to answer but eventually he deigned to give her an “I don’t know.”  
Ruth got up and walked over so she could next to him, instead of across as was her custom so she could monitor him on the ride back. Now she would rather observe him closely.   
A thin sheen of sweat covered his brow, his breathing was faster than normal, and he even seemed a bit pale, although under all that gore it was hard to tell. He swallowed hard.  
“Do you feel sick?”  
“…”  
“Abel, are you going to throw up?” she tried a more direct route.  
“…I don’t know.” he replied and he sounded…worried?  
“Angela, fetch the airsickness bag if you please.” Ruth said, calmly and clinically.   
076 swallowed again, convulsively this time.   
“Don’t let him puke in my chopper!”  
“Agent Carson unless you want a swift D Class demotion I suggest you shut your mouth!” Ruth snapped before turning back to her ward. “Abel, if you need to be sick, it’s alright.” she held out the paper bag.   
076 just looked confused now, all pretense gone. The veil of the immortal warrior who knew no fear peeled back for just a few seconds so she could see the man underneath. He tried to swallow again, but it seemed to get stuck in his throat and turned into a small gag.  
“It’s alright.” Ruth repeated as he took the bag from her.  
Suddenly, he choked and in a second the viscous remains of his breakfast came surging up his throat. As he heaved and coughed, the thick slime burning all the way up, Ruth laid a hand on his back, grounding him.  
“Don’t fight. This will make you feel better.” she coached.   
Another gag and liquid bile poured into the bag. Ruth could feel his muscles tensing under her hand.   
“Shh, easy. You’ll be okay.”   
At last 076 stopped heaving and just coughed and sputtered, spitting harshly.  
“Are you done?” Ruth asked.  
It took him a moment to respond but eventually he croaked out a “Yes.” His throat raw.  
“Alright. We’re about to touch down. Take a shower, wash your mouth out, and rest.”  
\---  
“And there was no warning?”   
Ruth and O3 stood in a closet sized room she suspected didn’t actually exist in her dimension. O Command and their secrecy knew no limits.  
“There was very little. If I hadn’t noticed the change in his body language it would have been a lot worse.” she replied.  
“Yet his vitals are normal. SCP-Seventy-Six has not experienced airsickness before, not even when he was with Omega-Seven. He is displaying no signs of illness or deterioration. Why did this happen?”  
“If I knew that I would have told you and the medical team now wouldn’t I?” Ruth huffed. O3’s composure slipped for just a second and she could see that he was hurt by her words. How cute.  
“The rest want answers.” he said apologetically. “They want to know why you didn’t terminate him.”  
“Because we were in a helicopter. Surely you can see why I wouldn’t set off a living bomb in an aircraft.”  
“You didn’t go through with the recovery protocol when you landed though. Your increasing unwillingness to use the protocol is worrying the others. They see it as a hole in your mobile containment system.”  
“Abel has only to think that I will flip that switch at my own whim. But while he does think that, he also has to think he is gaining my trust, and right now he trusts me to return to him.”  
“There was really no warning? He said nothing after returning from the town?”  
“Nothing to suggest he was in imminent danger of vomiting. Although,” she added, “when was the last time you saw seventy-six get sick?”  
O3 considered her remark but she didn’t give him a chance to answer.  
“Never, I’m guessing. Three, I think it’s been so long since he’s been sick that he didn’t even know the symptoms he was feeling. I asked him if he was going to be ill and he replied that he did not know. He was confused, quite possibly scared.”  
“Confused, maybe, but SCP-Seventy-Six is a monster. Monsters know no fear.” O3 scoffed.   
“So you keep saying.” Ruth replied. “But I rather think you forget your own actions, Three. Now if you will excuse me, I would like to be back with my ward, his health affects all of Phi-Delta, as you are aware.”  
Not even stopping to see O3’s expression, she stalked off.

**Author's Note:**

> Welcome to the first installment in my SCP-Replication Arc project.
> 
> So here we introduce three recurring characters in this little project: Dr. Ruth Gainsborough, SCP-076 A.K.A. "Abel", and O3 of O Command. 
> 
> Ruth heads the small yet deadly MTF Phi-Delta team. Phi-Delta is sent in to terminate that which cannot be contained or whatever O Command orders them to kill. It's a team that is good at only one thing: destruction. 
> 
> There is A LOT here that isn't explained and that I won't be explaining here: 
> 
> What IS the 'recovery protocol'?  
> Why does she consider O3 a monster?  
> How did she get a very dangerous SCP wrapped around her little finger?  
> What happened to make him sick?  
> Just who is Ruth anyway?
> 
> Some of those questions will be answered in other pieces as I introduce four more characters into this before truly starting the 'Replication Arc' storyline. So I hope you'll stick around for that and enjoy as much as I am how I'm weaving these characters and their relationships with one another.
> 
> Oh, but there is no love here. Before you get any ideas. These two are not a pairing, not romantic at least. A strange work friendship let's call it.


End file.
